Hillary Clinton Gets an Award and Tears Are Shed

WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton received a Democratic Woman of the Year Award — who else would it be? — at the Women’s National Democratic Club on Thursday, and the first tears were shed about three minutes after she took the stage.

In a room full of purple suffragist sashes and elected officials, Nuchhi Currier, the president of the organization, choked up when she said the outcome of the election — 358 days ago — was “very different from what had been anticipated.”

As the first anniversary of President Trump’s election win approaches, frustration and sadness over the loss of the first woman to be nominated for president by a major party has only seemed to grow more palpable among her supporters. Mrs. Clinton has frequently channeled their anger over the past 10 months, since Mr. Trump took office, and the awards ceremony was no different.

Over 55 minutes, Mrs. Clinton criticized the Trump administration’s “cavalier” approach to its dealings with Iran, attacked the administration’s apparent willingness to embrace Russia amid accusations of meddling in the election, discussed her approval ratings, promoted her election memoir and lamented a toxic environment for women across industries, especially in her own.

“The double standard that applies to women in politics is alive and well,” Mrs. Clinton said in a so-called fireside chat with Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California. “‘Ambitious’ is a compliment for men and it’s not for women.”

Mrs. Clinton’s appearance signaled the continuation of the Democratic mourning process that has persisted since the election, even as drama continues to mark her campaign. On Thursday, Politico published a first-person article by Donna Brazile, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee, who wrote that the Clinton campaign in 2016 controlled the committee and rigged the nomination process. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, made the same accusation on CNN on Thursday.

Ms. Brazile also wrote that the Clinton campaign had used a joint fund-raising agreement that would grant it control over strategy in exchange for raising funds. Ms. Brazile characterized the agreement as a “cancer” for the Democratic Party.

Through a spokeswoman, officials for the party disagreed.

“Joint fund-raising committees were created between the DNC and both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in attempt to raise the general election funds needed to win in 2016,” Xochitl Hinojosa, the communications director for the committee, wrote in an email on Thursday. “Clinton was the only candidate who raised money for the party through her joint fund-raising committee with the DNC, which would benefit any candidate coming out of the presidential primary process.”

But intraparty tension was not on the Democratic women’s club’s agenda. In the midst of stacks of copies of Mrs. Clinton’s memoir, “What Happened,” and a man outside the building selling T-shirts emblazoned with her photo and the caption “The People’s Choice,” Mrs. Clinton was more focused on the external forces she believed brought about her downfall.

“In terms of affecting the momentum of the race,” she said, a letter sent by James B. Comey, the director of the F.B.I. in 2016, “was the proximate cause.” The letter reopened an investigation into Mrs. Clinton’s emails days before the election.

Still, Mrs. Clinton also displays an edgy sense of humor. At a book tour stop in Chicago on Monday, she was asked what her Halloween costume would be.

“I think I will maybe come as the president!” she said to laughter from the crowd.

At the Women’s National Democratic Club, Mrs. Clinton received a standing ovation as she left the room.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A19 of the New York edition with the headline: Anger, Tears, Frustration, Then a Standing Ovation. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe